Bradd Pitt is accusing ex-wife Angelina Jolie of intentionally harming him and tarnishing the reputation of their shared wine company by supposedly selling her shares to a “stranger with poisonous associations and intentions.”
In 2008 Pitt and Jolie purchased a controlling stake in a French wine business called Château Miraval for a reported amount of €25 million. The company comprised a massive home and vineyard in Correns, France, which served as the venue for their secret wedding in 2014.
Brad Pitt Claimed Angelina Jolie ‘Sought To Inflict Harm’ On Him By Selling Her Stakes In Their Shared Wine Company
After initially dividing their ownership of Miraval 60/40 — with Pitt holding the majority share — the exes later became equal shareholders in 2013, three years before their split, after Pitt transferred 10% of his shares to Jolie.
The two reportedly pledged to refrain from selling their respective shares in the $164 million company without first consulting the other.
But back in September, Pitt accused Jolie of breaking the rules of this alleged agreement after she attempted to sell her 50% stake without first giving him the option to either buy her out or refuse the sale entirely.
It was later reported that Jolie had successfully been approved to sell her Miraval shares to a third party.
Pitt has since filed a legal complaint claiming that Jolie acted unlawfully by allegedly selling her stakes to a Luxembourg-based spirits manufacturer controlled by a Russian oligarch, Yuri Shefler, without his knowledge.
In new legal documents filed late last week, Pitt’s attorneys claim that Jolie intentionally sought to damage him and his reputation by assisting in a “hostile” takeover of Miraval.
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“Jolie pursued and then consummated the purported sale in secret, purposely keeping Pitt in the dark, and knowingly violating Pitt’s contractual rights,” his team claims. “Through the purported sale, Jolie sought to inflict harm on Pitt.”
In addition to allegedly violating their agreement, Pitt’s lawyers are also claiming that Jolie’s decision to sell her shares to Yuri Shefler was fueled by a desire to tarnish the company and “undermine” Pitt’s stewardship by forcing him into business with “a stranger with poisonous associations and intentions.”
They claim that Shefler “has gained notoriety through cut-throat business tactics and dubious professional associations,” and that partnering with him would jeopardize the reputation that Pitt had “carefully built” for Miraval.
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“Jolie knew and intended that Shefler and his affiliates would try to control the business Pitt had built and to undermine Pitt’s investment in Miraval,” the legal filings read. “All of this is the direct result of Jolie’s unlawful and tortious conduct.”
Writing that Miraval grew “into a multimillion-dollar global business and one of the world’s most highly regarded producers of rosé wine” through Pitt’s work, the legal documents allege that Jolie “contributed nothing” to the company’s success.
The lawsuit claims that Jolie owed Pitt the right to refuse the deal, and that the sale infringes on that right.
Pitt is asking for a trial by jury, seeking an undeclared amount of damages, and for Jolie’s purported sale to be considered “null and void.”
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